Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kalar and Basra

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalar: $500 a month against $664 in Basra, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Kalar
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Kalar Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
Learn more

Basra Living Index

Jump to prices

Kalar

🇮🇶 Iraq

$500

/mo nomad

Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$664

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kalar and in Basra

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kalar and in Basra actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $500 in Kalar versus $664 in Basra.

Kalar $500
Basra $664

Estimated couple costs with rent: $745 in Kalar versus $1,194 in Basra.

Kalar $745
Basra $1,194

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $991 in Kalar versus $1,725 in Basra.

Kalar $991
Basra $1,725

Living in Kalar costs roughly 25% less than in Basra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kalar 63% lower, Basra 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.18 IQD 6,314

$3.88 IQD 5,859

7.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.53 IQD 15.9K

$26.91 IQD 40.7K

-60.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.07 IQD 4,646

$6.70 IQD 10.1K

-54.18%

Cappuccino

$0.85 IQD 1,283

$2.29 IQD 3,462

-62.88%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 IQD 683

$0.38 IQD 568

18.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 IQD 215

$0.30 IQD 458

-53.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.49 IQD 8,290

$3.28 IQD 4,951

67.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 IQD 5,939

$3.67 IQD 5,541

7.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 IQD 1,388

$0.99 IQD 1,502

-7.07%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 IQD 1,091

$0.61 IQD 920

18.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 IQD 1,946

$1.21 IQD 1,833

6.61%

Eggs

$1.12 IQD 1,698

$1.60 IQD 2,417

-30.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.90 IQD 4,376

$6.32 IQD 9,552

-54.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.00 IQD 3,020

$5.40 IQD 8,161

-62.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.87 IQD 16.4K

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

-10.31%

Apples (1kg)

$0.81 IQD 1,219

$0.84 IQD 1,265

-3.57%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 IQD 1,462

$1.18 IQD 1,784

-17.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.85 IQD 1,286

$0.85 IQD 1,285

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 IQD 1,053

$0.55 IQD 834

27.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 IQD 873

$0.64 IQD 960

-9.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 948

$0.54 IQD 813

16.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 IQD 908

$0.80 IQD 1,211

-25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 IQD 586

$0.34 IQD 512

14.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.09 IQD 3,165

$1.80 IQD 2,725

16.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.72 IQD 16.2K

$11.21 IQD 16.9K

-4.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 IQD 2,213

$1.58 IQD 2,383

-7.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 IQD 2,815

$1.82 IQD 2,755

2.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 IQD 740

$0.52 IQD 789

-5.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.14 IQD 39.5K

$16.41 IQD 24.8K

59.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,526

$1.93 IQD 2,923

-13.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 IQD 2,347

$1.95 IQD 2,948

-20.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.34 IQD 5,039

$6.34 IQD 9,576

-47.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.54 IQD 815

$0.56 IQD 841

-3.57%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$14.6K IQD 22.1M

$11.4K IQD 17.3M

27.97%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

$19.6K IQD 29.7M

-16.37%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$46.19 IQD 69.8K

$43.92 IQD 66.4K

5.17%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.71 IQD 17.7K

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

-47.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 IQD 31.6K

$33.60 IQD 50.8K

-37.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.77 IQD 25.3K

$31.84 IQD 48.1K

-47.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.49 IQD 49.1K

$11.99 IQD 18.1K

170.98%

Cinema Ticket

$6.74 IQD 10.2K

$6.56 IQD 9,906

2.74%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$43.60 IQD 65.9K

$109 IQD 165.2K

-60.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,306 IQD 2.0M

$3,237 IQD 4.9M

-59.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.86 IQD 16.4K

$43.57 IQD 65.8K

-75.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.02 IQD 18.2K

$17.35 IQD 26.2K

-30.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$22.98 IQD 34.7K

$68.7 IQD 103.8K

-66.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$28.22 IQD 42.6K

$35.89 IQD 54.2K

-21.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$151 IQD 228.0K

$405 IQD 611.7K

-62.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$92.5 IQD 139.8K

$138 IQD 208.3K

-32.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$246 IQD 371.6K

$369 IQD 558.1K

-33.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$126 IQD 189.7K

$548 IQD 828.2K

-77.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$874 IQD 1.3M

$1,403 IQD 2.1M

-37.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$392 IQD 591.7K

$707 IQD 1.1M

-44.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$300 IQD 453.4K

$667 IQD 1.0M

-55.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

4.12

-38.59%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Kalar: October 26, 2026

Last update for Basra: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Kalar

$137 27.4%

Basra

$171 25.8% 25.4% $35

Accommodation & Living

Kalar

$93 18.5%

Basra

$138 20.8% 49% $45

Eating Out

Kalar

$91 18.1%

Basra

$105 15.8% 16.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kalar

$79 15.8%

Basra

$100 15% 26.7% $21

Getting Around

Kalar

$38 7.5%

Basra

$30 4.6% 19.6% $7.3

Clothing & Footwear

Kalar

$33 6.7%

Basra

$74 11.2% 123% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Kalar

$30 6.1%

Basra

$45 6.8% 48.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $151 in Kalar and $405 in Basra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basra pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $11 in Kalar vs $27 in Basra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $137 vs $171 per month, with Kalar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Kalar

🇮🇶 Basra

🕒 Local time

01:53 1:53 AM

Same time as Kalar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

250,000

2,150,000

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Kalar Basra 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kalar
Basra

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Kalar vs Basra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $500 in Kalar and $664 in Basra, so Kalar is about 25% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 55% lower in Kalar. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $151 in Kalar versus $405 in Basra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Basra. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Kalar – a meal for two runs $11 versus $27 in Basra. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Kalar gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Kalar is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Basra, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Kalar wins on affordability, Basra on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.